Eight people with ties to ISIS, who crossed the US southern border last year have been arrested in Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and New York City, according to officials.
The suspects, from Tajikistan, were allowed to enter the country last year after being vetted. No national security risks were detected at the time, a source close to the investigation told ABC News.
In recent weeks authorities uncovered “derogatory information” which indicated the individuals had links to the terrorist group.
They were searched for and arrested, the source told the outlet. Despite this, authorities are still developing evidence to bring terrorism charges, which will result in the suspects being deported.
They are now being detained in ICE custody.
"Over the last few days, ICE agents arrested several non-citizens pursuant to immigration authorities," the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security said in a statement.
"The actions were carried out in close coordination with the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Forces. The individuals arrested are detained in ICE custody pending removal proceedings.
"As the FBI and DHS have recently described in public and partner bulletins, the U.S. has been in a heightened threat environment.
“The FBI and DHS will continue working around the clock with our partners to identify, investigate, and disrupt potential threats to national security.”
Last month, the DHS, through the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), published a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that would allow statutory bars to asylum to be applied much earlier in the process.
It allows DHS to expeditiously remove individuals who pose a threat to the United States much sooner than previously with the intention of better safeguarding the security of our border and the country.
Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said at the time: “The proposed rule we have published today is yet another step in our ongoing efforts to ensure the safety of the American public by more quickly identifying and removing those individuals who present a security risk and have no legal basis to remain here.”
